"Faith is different from theology because theology is reasoned, systematic, and orderly, whereas faith is disorderly, intermittent, and full of surprises.... Faith is homesickness. Faith is a lump in the throat. Faith is less a position on than a movement toward, less a sure thing than a hunch. Faith is waiting."

Frederick Buechner

Friday, December 28, 2012

Friday Five: Recycle, Regift, Reflect

Deb, over at RevGals offers this Friday Five: As
we take a breather from the busy weekend of Sunday/Christmas Eve,
Christmas Day, it's time to reflect on the past year. It's hard to move
out of this holiday season with its delights and celebrations. Here at
our home, we've barely finished the eggnog. The tree is still up and our
cats delight in knocking off the lower (unbreakable) ornaments. As we
are rounding the final turn on the year 2012, I hope you'll play along
with these questions. :)

RECYCLE:

1. What is some "old news" this year that you'd like to repeat for 2013? - I lost a little weight and hope to continue to lose a little more.

2. What "new thing" have you started that you want to keep going in 2013? - I added more cardio to my exercise routine, having found a good number of options on YouTube.

RE-GIFT:

3.
What event, experience or gift would you just as soon "Return to
Sender"? Maybe it was a disastrous sermon, a congregational kerfuffle, a
vacation nightmare, or your own mis-step. It can be funny or sad. - I gained weight last year at an astonishing pace. It worried me, thinking something was wrong. I've determined that it is primarily the result of a lot of stress (belly fat) and not enough cardio exercise. So I'm working on that.

REFLECT:

4. Share the brightest bit of joy that was a part of your year. - At the church we are exploring the possibility of helping a church in Africa build a school. This is a very exciting prospect as we prepare to send a group of people to that country to learn more about the project and how we can work with them. We have also had some new families join the church, lots of little kids - always a delight to my heart. And both of my kids are healthy and in college. My daughter is slowing moving from her career as an equestrian into something that will hopefully provide a more stable career for her.

5. Share a picture that says far more than words. (You can use it to illustrate one of the above.)

Me with two of my brothers, one who had throat cancer.

Love our community garden - we eat so well as a result.

BONUS:

Share a recipe! I'm in the doldrums and need some healthy eating options
for my menu planning. Soup, stew, main dish, side dish or a healthy
dessert - any and all are welcome!

Recipe: Whole-Wheat Zucchini Bread (made originally from zucchini grown in the garden...)

In a bowl, sift together dry ingredients and set aside.In
a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy; beat in eggs, yogurt, buttermilk,
oil, sugar, and vanilla. Combine well. Stir in grated zucchini and appleFold flour mixture into the wet ingredients and stir until combined.Spoon
half of the batter into a greased 9×4 loaf pan. Add a line of cream
cheese to make a center filling in the bread. Top with the remaining
batter. Bake for approximately 65 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes in the pan. Loosen the sides and remove from pan. Cool loaf completely before cutting.

5 comments:

Blogger is being very persnickety today. I added captions to the photos but they disappeared - the first one is of me with two of my brothers, one of whom has struggled with throat cancer. The second is of our community garden.

I always wanted to do a community garden at my last church. Any suggestion of it brought mostly blank stares. Sigh. Glad you all have one!

I admire your dedication to exercise. I have never enjoyed exercising, so really have to dedicate myself in spades to any attempt to making it part of my life. I'm hoping that in the coming year I can find a way to make it more palatable. I need to get exercise in the worst way!

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The opinions expressed in this Blog are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Episcopal Church or any of the Episcopal Churches I serve, the Diocese of Michigan, or those of any local, national or other organizations I serve. If you wish to reproduce anything written here or link to another site, you may only do so with the express permission of the author, and only with appropriate attribution.

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Episcopal Priest, gardener, knitter, mother of two grown kids, married for a long time to the same man. I like to exercise, write, and be creative. I serve a very cool, dynamic congregation that challenges me in all the best of ways. I also serve as the Co-convenor of the Episcopal Women's Caucus. I am committed to the health and well-being of women, and therefore also care deeply about the well-being of men and children.